A Glitch, A Girl, and a Day to Remember
by OmniRobot19
Summary: Middle-school geek Natalie Walker has never fit in, and neither has glitch Vanellope von Schweetz. So when a freak accident involving a cut wire brings the two together, they find out what it means to have a real friend. Reviews are always appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

Hello, people of Fanfiction! This is OmniRobot19! Now, normally I do video game fanfics, but after seeing Wreck-it Ralph (finally!) I got inspired to do a few fanfics about my favorite character, Vanellope. I wrote a short one (find "Much More" in this archive or on my profile page) and this is my full length one, featuring an OC. So without further ado (is that how you spell it?) here is A Glitch, A Girl, and a Day to Remember!

* * *

Ring! Ring! Ring! The bell, signaling the end of the school day and the week, rung through the school. Kids and teachers alike packed up their things and prepared for their departure home. Well, except for one kid: me, Natalie Walker. Every day after school, instead of going home, I would go somewhere else. But not without being stopped by Tonya, Francis, and Cassie first at the front doors.

"Hey, dork, where are you going?" said Tonya, sucking on a lollipop like always.

"First of all, my name is Natalie," I said, even though I have to remind her every day. "And where I'm going is none of your concern."

"Well, we really don't need you to tell us," Francis said arrogantly.

"We don't?" asked Cassie. Even I'll admit that she's an airhead and not as mean as Tonya and Francis. It's kind of sad they bribed her to join their group.

"Yes, Cassie," said Tonya, obviously annoyed by her friend's stupidity. "We know that this dork is going to that stupid arcade down the street. Litwick's, was it?"

"Okay, Tonya, it's Litwak. Litwick is a Pokemon," I said. I wasn't afraid to admit where I was going... or reveal my extensive knowledge of Pokemon. But I guess I had Francis' next insult coming right at me.

"Look at this, guys!" he said. "As if the geek couldn't get any geekier!" And then he, along with Tonya and Cassie, laughed.

I felt a bit of anger boiling inside of me. So I like video games and that kind of stuff, so what? I'm not laughing at Tonya's lollipop obsession or Cassie's stupidity or Francis' girly name. So why should they tease me?

"Look, guys," I said, trying to keep my cool, "I don't want to fight or anything, so if you could just get out of my way..."

"Not so fast, geek!" As soon as I passed them and the doors, Tonya pushed me and sent me falling towards a puddle of mud. When I landed, I got a face full of dirt and old rain water. As I tried to spit out all of the mud, I thought about how the taste in my mouth was like Tonya and her gang; no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get rid of either one.

"If you excuse us, we have cool stuff to do," said Francis as he walked away.

"Yeah," said Cassie. "See you Monday, glitch!"

That last comment stuck in my brain like superglue. She probably meant to say "geek," but "glitch" hurt just as much. In a video game or computer, a glitch is a big virus. It's an annoying problem that nobody wants. So, in a way, Cassie said what she wanted.

"You guys are so mean!" I shouted. "I'll show you! I'll show you I'm not a glitch!"

* * *

Vroom! Vroom! Vroom! The sound of engines roaring and go-karts speeding reached my ears, making me feel just the slightest bit jealous. Oh, how I longed to be in a go-kart of my own! To feel the exhilaration of being in a race! To experience the thrill of crossing the finish line. But it would never happen. Never would I, Vanellope von Schweetz, do what they're doing. Suddenly, I heard someone calling my name. Well, my nickname.

"Hey, Glitch!" I turned and saw Taffyta, Candlehead, and Rancis walking up to me. Taffyta held a giant, glittering gold trophy in her arms, Rancis held a silver one, and Candlehead held a bronze. "Bet'cha you wish you had one of these, huh?" said Taffyta.

To tell you the truth, I really did, but I would never tell them that. "No. Why would I want a giant hunk of metal to carry around with me?"

"That's just the jealousy talking," said Rancis. He used his sleeve to polish the side of his silver trophy, then admired his own reflection.

"Wait, jealousy can talk?" said Candlehead, being as dopey as ever.

"No, Candlehead," said Taffyta. "And you," she put down the trophy and pointed at me. "If you were smart you would stay off of that track. The last thing me need is a glitch to put us out of order."

"Hey!" I said. "I'm not a glitch!" Then, as if on cue, I felt myself glitch. I could see and feel my body become a bunch of blue pixels and then joining together again. I hate that feeling. It feels like you're having a brain freeze in your arms, legs, and everywhere else.

"Would you look at that!" said Taffyta, laughing like a hyena. "The stupid glitch is in denial! It's sad, really. But you've got to get it through your head that you're never going to be a racer."

"Yes I can!" I said, beginning to get defensive.

"No you won't! Admit it! You'll never be a racer! All because you're just a glitch!" And with that, Taffyta shoved me, face first, into a chocolate mud puddle. And while chocolate usually taste good, this chocolate tasted of disgust and hatrid. Suddenly, we heard the sound of a quarter being placed into our console.

"We've got to bounce," said Rancis, picking up his trophy.

"Yeah!" said Candlehead. "See you after the race, glitch!"

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, but I wiped them away. I refused to show them any weakness; it would only inflate their egos like a balloon. "You guys are so mean!" I shouted as they walked away. "I'll show you! I'll show you I'm not a glitch!"

* * *

Yeah! Chapter 1 done! I plan on posting more chapters ASAP. So, until then, peace out and stay sweet!


	2. Chapter 2

I told you I'd update soon! I'm having a lot of fun writing this fanfic, so expect more updates soon! Please reveiw!

* * *

Even after ten minutes I still had that mud taste in my mouth. It was a constant reminder of Tonya's cruelty and I hated it. There was only one thing that could lift my spirits now, and that was a trip to Litwak's arcade for some game time. I checked my pocket to see if I had enough quarters to play for a while, and sure enough, I had four dollars worth of silver coins in my pocket. When I finally got to the arcade, I scrambled over to my favorite game there: Sugar Rush. I inserted my quarters and saw the avatar selection screen. I couldn't decide who I wanted to be, but Taffyta Muttonfudge was out of the question; she looked too much like Tonya and had names that were too similar. Same with Rancis Fluggernutter, and Candlehead somehow reminded me of Cassie. It must have been that dopey, innocent smile she always had on.

I was just about to chose my racer when I heard a buzzing noise. I looked down to see that something was wrong with the wire that hooked the game up. Little sparks shot up like fireworks, signaling that something was definitely wrong. I went down to inspect it some more. Sure enough, the plastic that usually hid the game's ever-so-important red and blue wiring had been cut, revealing it's insides. I reached inside my backpack and brought out a roll of tape, hoping I could somehow repair the wire since Mr. Litwak was nowhere to be seen. First, I needed to line up the plastic coating, but it was hard. The little red and blue wires gave me a small shock whenever I touched them. It stung a little, but I didn't want to risk having the game short out when I'm in the middle of a race. So I pushed on, but the wires continued to zap me when I touched them, and it hurt more each time they attacked. Until something weird happened. I touched the wires, and found that my finger being sucked into the wire! then my hand, then my arm, then my elbow...

"Help!" I shouted in desperation. "Help! Something's wrong with the game!"

And then the world went black.

* * *

I felt angry inside. How dare Taffyta and her gang do that to me! Just because I'm a glitch, just because I'm a little different, they have to kick me out of all the races? It just doesn't seem fair! And why me? Of all the people in Sugar Rush, why did I have to be the glitch? Why not one of the NPCs in the grandstands? Why did it have to be one of the racers (If I was ever a racer at all...)? Why did the designers of this game even make a glitch in the first place? It all just seemed ridiculous to me. But, even if I wan't allowed to race, there was no rule saying that I couldn't watch. So I left my home in Diet Cola Mountain and went over to the starting line to see the race start. But when I got there, I noticed something weird: there were no racers there! They were all still back at the avatar selection screen!

"Now what kind of person puts their quarter into the machine and leaves?" I wondered aloud. Suddenly, I heard a sound behind me. I turned around and saw a bunch of pixels, which began to materialize into a person. When it all stopped, in the place of the pixels was a girl. She looked about 12, the same age as me, but a little different, too. Her hair was brown and tied into a braid, and she wore a green uniform shirt and khaki pants. She seemed confused and scared, and even more so when she saw me.

"Uh, w-who are you?" she said, her voice quavering with nervousness.

"I should be asking the same thing to you," I replied. "Where did you come from? How did you get here?"

"I don't really know," she said. "All I remember was that I was at Litwak's arcade, trying to fix a cable connected to Sugar Rush, then I got sucked into the wire and now..." she looked around. As she did, her expression changed from fear to amazement. "...And now I'm in Sugar Rush."

"Uh, yeah," I said. "Where else are you going to find trees made out of candy canes and holes filled with Nesquik-sand? Candy Land?"

"Uh, I don't really know," she replied. "But you still haven't answered my question. Who are you?"

"I'm Vanellope," I said. "Vanellope von Schweetz. You?"

"I'm Natalie Walker. Not that anyone calls me that." She looked down sheepishly.

"Really? What do they call you?" I asked.

"Mean stuff like dork, geek... glitch."

"Really? People call you glitch too?" I asked. While on the outside I seemed sentimental for this new girl, on the inside I was really happy. I thought that I finally had someone just like me.

"What do you mean, "'too'?" said Natalie. "Do people call you that too?"

"Only because it's true," I admitted. There was no point in denying it. I could try to ignore it all I wanted to but that wasn't going to change anything. No matter what I thought or said I was going to change that. Suddenly, right there, I glitched in front of Natalie, as if to give an example of what I meant.

"Woah," she said. I could feel an insult coming on until... "That's so cool!"

"Huh?" I couldn't believe what I had heard. Someone thought it was cool to glitch? Either this new girl was crazy, or I was.

"I mean, I'm sure it's not fun doing it and being teased about it," said Natalie, "but I think it's pretty neat." She smiled at me, and I smiled back. I could already tell that I was going to like this new girl.

* * *

Voila! Chapter 2! Like I said before, please review and check out some of my other stories. See ya later!


	3. Chapter 3

Two chapters in one day! It's a miracle! Anyway, this chapter is my favorite one to write so far, so I hope you guys like it. Please reveiw!

* * *

I couldn't believe my eyes. One moment I was trying to fix a power cord at an arcade. And now... And now I'm in the world of Sugar Rush talking to a secret character who says she's a glitch. It was amazing and strange and crazy, all at the same time. "So, uh..."

"Vanellope," said the candy-haired girl, reminding me of her name.

"Yeah, Vanellope," I said, "I don't want to be a burden, but I have a lot of questions. When did you become a glitch? Where do you live? What are the other racers like? Do you have your own kart? Do you have to make your own, or are you programmed with one? What do..."

"Slow down, Miss Motormouth!" said Vanellope quickly, successfully shutting me up.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry." I felt a little guilty inside for bothering her. "It's just, well, I've never been inside a video game before. It seems pretty neat."

"Not when you're me," Vanellope said. "Like I said, the other racers make fun of me because I'm a glitch. It just doesn't seem fair, you know? So I'm a little different from them, so what?"

"I know, right?" I said, emphasizing with the girl. "That's the way it's like back where I come from. There's this mean girl named Tonya who always teases me because I'm a geek. I don't know why, but I always feel most comfortable when I'm around electronics and video games and stuff. I practically live at Litwak's." I felt kind of weird telling this to Vanellope; this was the first time I've ever revealed something like this to anything or anyone.

"Speaking of where you live," Vanellope said, "do you want to see my home?"

"Sure," I said, and we walked through the world of Sugar Rush. It was all just like I imagined: everything was bright and colorful and made of candy. I tried to take a bite out of a candy cane tree, before the branch disappeared before my eyes.

"It's a double stripe," Vanellope explained. "Double strikes break. Everyone knows that."

"Um, if you haven't noticed, I've barely been here for fifteen minutes," I said. Then we continued through the land until we came to a giant mountain that resembled a giant bottle of cola.

"This is where I live," Vanellope said. "Come on, the secret entrance is over here." We walked in front of two lollipops that were crossed over each other like an X. "If you run towards the lollipops, there's a secret entrance to the inside of the mountain. It's pretty cool, actually." Then Vanellope walked right at the lollipops... and went right through them! She, the lollipops, and a part of the mountain glitched, and then she was gone. Feeling daring, I decided to try it out myself. But I felt nervous, so I ran instead of walked. As I raced towards the passage, I had to keep telling myself that I wasn't going to crash. Then, in a blinding bunch of blue pixels, I found myself in a whole new place. The area was dark, with only a few bits of light coming in. Above me, stalagmites that looked as if they were made of Mentos hung and swayed, and below me, a giant vat of cola bubbled and fizzed. I could see the dangers of what would happen if the stalagmites and the cola met.

"So tell me," I said, ""how did you ever manage to find this place?"

Vanellope was silent for a moment, trying to recover a memory from long ago. "Well, it's a long story..."

* * *

"It was about fifteen years ago," I said, beginning my story for Natalie. "I woke up by the racetrack and I couldn't remember anything. But I knew one thing, and that I was born to race. So I went out and tried to find my own kart. That's when I met Taffyta and her stupid gang. At first, they were pretty nice. We talked for a while and I asked her where I could get a kart. She said that I could go to the Bakery to make my own. Then I started to get really excited about having my own kart, that I glitched for the first time."

"Really?" said Natalie. "What does it feel like?"

"Well, I'm used to it now, but back then it was awful. It felt like I was having a brain freeze, but in my whole body instead of just my head. Anyway, Taffyta acted really surprised when she saw me glitch. At first she was surprised, but then she seemed scared. She started screaming 'glitch!' and running away from me. She acted like I had some contagious disease or something!

"And then King Candy came up to me and took me to his castle. He told me to stay off of the racetrack for the sake of the game. He said that if I glitched in front of the players, they would think that the game was broken and put us out of order."

"Wait," said Natalie. "So having a glitch in the game automatically makes the game bad? Has he ever heard of Pokemon Red? Majora's Mask?"

"What?"

"Never mind."

"Anyway," I continued, "I said that I didn't care what the players thought of me, but then he told me that if our game were to ever go out of order and get unplugged, I couldn't escape with everyone else because I was a glitch. He said that if I got stuck in the game when it gets unplugged... I would die." I winced at the painful thought of dying. Sure, it's one thing if a character dies and regenerates, but it's another to die and not come back.

"Wow," said Natalie.

"Yeah," I said, trying to shake the ugly scene out of my head. "Anyway, word got around that I was a glitch, and everyone began making fun of me. Even the nice people like Candlehead and Jubileena and Snowanna began to tease me. So I decided to run away and find somewhere else to live. That's when I found Diet Cola Mountain. I accidentally ran into the lollipops, but I found the secret entrance instead. I found a sponge cake and made it my bed and found some old candy wrappers to use as blankets. It's not a palace, but I'm just lucky that a reject like myself has a roof over their head in the first place."

"You're not a reject, Vanellope," said Natalie, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You're a really nice girl who doesn't deserve this. I bet that if they gave you a chance, you could beat those mean girls any day."

I looked up at her. She was so kind and generous, it was hard to believe that she didn't have many friends. "Thanks," I said. "And I'm sure that you could beat Tonya and her friends at anything anytime."

"Thanks," said Natalie. And that is how a great friendship was founded.

* * *

Boom! Chapter 3! Expect more soon! Until then, goodbye and good night!


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! I am happy to report that in only 36 hours of being published online, this story has had almost 250 views, 2 reviews, 3 follows, and 3 favorites! I would like to thank everyone who had read my story, and I would like to thank VickyT36 and Conflict-In-Crossfire for their reviews. Here is chapter 4!

* * *

So after hanging out with Vanellope for a while in Diet Cola Mountain, we decided to go and see if there was a race going on. So we headed out for the starting line. When we got there, I saw the most amazing thing: Every single racer, not just the nine featured that day, were lined up, reving their engines, ready to race; Minty Zaki, Gloyd Orangeboar, Adorbeelze Winterpop, and everyone else was there. Even the palate swaps like Sticky Whipplenit and Citrusella Flugplucker were there.

"Woah," I said, appalled by the number of racers. "There's so many of them."

"Yeah," said Vanellope, a sour look on her face. "But they're one racer short, and that's me! I need to get on that track, but I can't, or else King Big Nose will catch me and throw me in the Fungeon. It's not as fun as it sounds."

I thought for a while. I really wanted to help Vanellope win the race. "Well, maybe we can get you to race without the king finding out."

"How? Vanellope asked. "Everyone knows me and thinks that I'm some sort of criminal. It's really ridiculous in my opinion. If they even see me near the course, they'll lock me up, and probably you, too. King Candy's not too friendly with strangers." Suddenly, I saw a giant READY! appear in the air. The race was about to start.

"Okay," I said, "When the racers leave, we'll get out of here and get to the Bakery so you can make a kart, okay? The people in the grandstands will be too busy looking at the racers to notice us."  
SET! The sound of engines filled the air like smoke.

"Okay," Vanellope said, nodding. "We'll go in 3... 2..." GO! "Now!" The racers, Vanellope, and I dashed off. It was hard trying to maneuver around all of the racecars, and we almost got hit by one that looked like a giant cherry pie. It was coming too fast for us the run past it. We were going to crash!

"Hold onto me!" said Vanellope. I quickly held her hand, though I was unsure of her plan. "And... glitch!" In a blink of an eye, the two of us teleported away from the speeding car. I felt dizzy after glitching and had a serious headache, but only for a few seconds. "Come on," said Vanellope. "I know where the Bakery is!"

* * *

Natalie and I ran for a long time, but we eventually got to the giant factory-like building. Of course, at the front door, there was a sign reading "No Glitches!" and had a picture of my face X-ed out. It was demeaning if you asked me.

"Great," Natalie said, "The rules say that you can't get in."

"I don't believe in rules," I said. "I think of them more as general guidelines. Look, I found a ladder leading to another entrance on top of the roof. Come on," I said, coaxing Natalie up to the roof. She followed, and the two of us climbed up to the top. Once we got there, I removed the giant vanilla wafer covering a small hole in the roof. We jumped through and found ourselves in a dark room. On the walls were glowing pictures of karts.

"Oh, I know this place!" Natalie said. "It's that Bake-A-Kart minigame! I'm awesome at this!"

"That's great!" I said excitedly. "You can help me make one! So, which one do you like the best?" We looked at all of the pictures of the karts on the wall. There was a lemon meringue pie, a slice of cake, and even a 'smore kart. Then, just as we were about to pick out kart...

"Halt in the name of King Candy!" We turned around and saw King Candy and his cops at the front door. None of them seemed really friendly, but that was expected. "Hey!" He pointed to Natalie. "Who are you? Why are you helping the glitch?"

"What?" Natalie said nervously. "I...I mean no harm. I was just trying to fix a wire at the arcade and I got..."

"It doesn't matter!" King Candy growled. "Wynchell! Duncan! Grab these two and put them in the Fungeon! And please prepare our special glitch-free room for this freak!" The king looked at me with an angry scowl on his mug. I scowled back. The cops grabbed us and handcuffed us. Natalie kicked and screamed and tried to get out, but I told her it was no use. "You might as well just go with it. If you try to fight, they'll lock you up for a longer time. You might not be able to get home."

Then a look of shock appeared on her face, then of fear, then she started to cry. Even so, she went along with the cops, and so did I. We might as well not even try to fight back. It was hopeless.

* * *

Dun-dun-dun! They're going to the Fungeon! What will happen next? Stay tuned to find out!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5, where our main characters go to the Fungeon! I had a little trouble writing this chapter, so I hope you guys like it. Oh, and if you see any femslash between Vanellope and my OC, it is NOT INTENTIONAL! So don't even think about it!

* * *

I cried. I cried because I was going to jail. I cried because I was nervous about what this Fungeon place was going to be like. I cried because I was scared that I was never going to get home. But mostly, I cried because I didn't know what else to do. I felt so hopeless and helpless that I lost it. I felt a flurry of emotions swirl inside of me as Vanellope and I rode to the Fungeon in the back of King Candy's prison truck. I was more scared than I had ever been before, but Vanellope, who was sitting next to me, seemed much less afraid than I was.

"Stop your blubbering," she said quietly. She stared down at the ground and refused to look up. It was clear that even though she stayed cool, she too was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. She even started to glitch. "It's not that bad. You're just stuck in a cold room with little food and no way to get out."

That didn't help at all.

"Come on, Vanellope!" I said. "You've got to be at least a little bit scared."

"Why should I be?" she said, still not looking up. "It's not like it's my first time."

We both fell silent. _She's been to the Fungeon before? For what? Being a glitch and wanting to chase her dreams? For wanting to be accepted by the others? To simply have a friend? Is that too much to ask?_ I felt myself getting angry. "You know what? This whole kingdom is stupid," I said, all of my thoughts and emotions spilling out uncontrollably. "I don't understand why they're locking us up. I mean, you just want to be a racer like everyone else. And if they weren't so mean to you and just let you race, you wouldn't have to break into the Bakery. If they just let you have a go-kart and be a part of them, you wouldn't be doing all of this! It's not your fault that you're doing this! It's theirs!" Then the whole world seemed to go eerily silent. There was no noise in the room except for the engine of the truck and the occasional sound of Vanellope glitching.

Then, after what seemed to be ages, Vanellope piped up. "Thank you." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"For what?" I asked.

"No one has even stuck up for me like that," she confessed. "It feels kind of nice to have someone there for you. I should have thanked you earlier."

I looked up at her. She, finally, lifted her head and our eyes met. For a while, I didn't know what to say. I really thought that it was amazing that this girl, this little girl who has been tortured and bullied for her whole life, can still push forward. Even through all of the hardships she's faced, she still has the strength to move forward with a smile. In a way, she was actually kind of heroic. Suddenly, the truck screeched to a halt. The doors opened, revealing King Candy and the cops.

"Ah! There's my two favorite criminals!" he said, an evil grin spread across his face. "Let's lock 'em up! Oh yeah, I'm going to have to have a little chat with the glitch over here." One of the cops, which I later found out was a giant doughnut, took me away, and Vanellope stayed behind with that loser of a king.

* * *

"What do you want, King Crazy?" I said as I saw Natalie being taken away by one of the cops. King Candy slapped me hard across the face, making it sting.

"If I were you, I would keep quiet!" he shouted. "Look, glitch, I have told you time and time again to stay off of that racetrack!"

"But why?" I questioned. "Why can't I race?"

King Candy groaned. Then he started to talk in a tone that was dripping with fake sweetness. "If you win that race and get on that roster, and then if people choose you as their avatar, you're going to glitch. And if you glitch, they'll think our game is broken. And if they think our game is broken, we'll be put out of order. And if we're put out of order, we'll get unplugged. And if we get unplugged... you're going to get killed!" He said that last part with more sugar than, well, Sugar Rush.

"You don't know that," I said angrilly. "I can learn to control my glitch!"

"You can't, you idiotic girl!" said King Candy, all of the sweetness in his voice gone. "You don't get it do you? You can't control that glitch, you can't be a racer, you can't do anything right! You're just a useless glitch!"

"Oh yeah?" I took a minute to focus. _Come on, Vanellope,_ I thought, you can do it. J_ust glitch out of these handcuffs. You have to save Natalie_. That last part got me thinking. I had to do this for Natalie. She must have been so scared out of her wits locked up in the Fungeon. She must have terrified of the thought of not getting home. I knew I had to at least try to save her. So I focused harder than ever before. _Do this for Natalie. She's your only friend. Your best friend._

ZAP! I quickly glitched out of King Candy's handcuffs, free from their wrist-pinching grasp. I didn't waste any time and I ran towards the Fungeon to try to save Natalie. Unfortunatley, King Candy and the doughnut cop alongside him were hot on my trail.

"Get that glitch!" cried King Candy as he hopped into his racecar. He started the engine and chased me, but I ran jut fast enough to beat his kart. It was hard and tiring, but I had to do this. For Natalie.

* * *

Chapter 5 done! Stay tuned for chapter 6!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6, ready for reading! I hope you like it! Please review and check out some of my other stories. Enjoy!

* * *

"Ahh!" I was thrown into the Fungeon by one of the doughnut cops and I landed on the concrete with a thud.

"Now you'd better keep quiet, kid!" said the cop as he locked me in.

"But please!" I cried. "I have to get out of here! I don't even belong here, I belong outside this game!"

"Do I look like I care?" The cop slammed the door to my cell shut, leaving me alone. At first, I began to panic. But then something struck me. Vanellope. I remembered something that King Candy said earlier: _"It doesn't matter!" King Candy growled. "Wynchell! Duncan! Grab these two and put them in the Fungeon! And please prepare our special glitch-free room for this freak!"_ He had a glitch-free cell made special for Vanellope. Even if she gathered all of her energy and tried to glitch out, she couldn't. She was trapped with no way out. I knew that if I were the glitch and if I were trapped in that room, she would try to save me. So I knew that I had to at least try to save her.

But first I needed to break out of my own cell. I looked around and found only two ways out: the door and a small window with some bars on it. I knew that there was no chance of escape through the door, so my only other option was the window. When I shook the bars, I noticed that one was loose.

"Huh." I shook it some more and it got looser and looser until... SNAP! The bar broke from the window, creating a gap that seemed to be just big enough for me to escape through. So I hoisted myself up and tried to squeeze through my gap. But it was hard, and I got stuck many times. I had a bit of trouble getting my head through, and I had to shimmy like a snake to get out my torso and legs. But I soon got out and landed on the candy-coated ground outside of the Fungeon. I smiled to myself, impressed by my work. But I still had one more task, and that was to get Vanellope out of her cell. So I ran around the perimeter of the Fungeon, peeking into every window to see if I could find Vanellope. But every cell I looked into was empty, and which each empty cell I looked into, my hope began to deplete. But then, on what seemed to be the only cell I hadn't looked into, I saw her. Chained uncomfortably to the wall, Vanellope sat there, sadly.

"Vanellope! Hey!" I whispered, trying to get her attention. When she finally looked up at me, she smiled. I could tell that she was as happy to see me as I was to see her.

* * *

I couldn't believe it! She came! Natalie actually came for me! "How did you get out?" I asked.

"Someone really needs to fix the bars on those windows," she said. "How did you get in? I thought I saw you glitch out of those handcuffs."

"Yeah," I said, "but when you're on foot and being chased by a racecar, you're going to get caught."

"Oh. Well, it doesn't matter. We need to get you out of there!"

"But how?" I said. "This cell is glitch-free. I can try whatever I can but it won't work."

Natalie began to space out for a while, deep in thought. "I think I have an idea. Just sit tight." I saw her run off to a nearby peppermint tree. She broke off a branch and sucked on it for a while.

"How is that supposed to help?" I asked angrilly. "You're just sitting there eating a piece of candy!"

"Just trust me," she said, still sucking on the piece of peppermint. After about three minutes, she pulled the peppermint stick from her mouth, revealing a pointed tip. "Here," she said, throwing me the stick through the bars of my window. "Try to pick the locks with this."

Even though my hand were chained up, I managed to catch the pointed peppermint stick. I tried as hard as I could to pick at one of the locks holding me in. It was difficult and took a while, but I managed to open one of them.

"Good!" said Natalie. "Now you just keep doing that, and I'll keep watch for the king and those desserts he calls cops." And so for the next thirty minutes, we picked and watched, picked and watched, picked and watched. Until...

"Hey!" I called. "I got them all done! Now lets get out of here before King Poofy Pants and the calorie cops find us." The two of us shook one of the bars on one of my own windows loose, and I got out.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Natalie asked.

"I'm probably just going to go back to Diet Cola Mountain, and we need to get you home," I said. "But we need to hurry. They probably already know we broke out." So the two of us made a break for it, running in the direction of the soda mountain that loomed over Sugar Rush.

"Uh, quick question," Natalie asked while we ran. "How exactly am I supposed to get out of here?"

"Well," I said, "how did you get in here?"

"I tried to fix a broken power cord at the arcade and I got sucked in."

"Well, you're probably going to need to get to the power cord leading to Game Central Station. If there really is a cut in the cord, you'll find a space at the top of the tunnel. Climb through there, and you should get home."

"Really?" Natalie said, gasping from running so much. "Okay, I'll try it. Hey, can we take a break? I'm getting tired."

"Alright," I said. "But we have to watch out for the king." So the two of us sat by a big gumdrop for a quick rest before we got to Diet Cola Mountain. Little did we know that we were being watched.

* * *

Chapter 6! My next chapter will probably be the last, followed by an epilouge. Until then, stay cool!


	7. Chapter 7

The final chapter of my fanfic, A Glitch, A Girl, and a Day to Remember. After this, I'll post an epilogue. Enjoy, and try to see if you can find the song I've added in. Enjoy!

* * *

After a few minutes of rest, Vanellope and I decided to get back on our feet and head to Diet Cola Mountain. As we started to trek, I got an idea.

"Hey, Vanellope," I said. "I just thought of something. Why don't you just leave Sugar Rush? You can come with me. You can come to school and hang out with me. You wouldn't have to be bullied by Taffyta or Rancis anymore, and Tonya and Francis and Cassie wouldn't be such a bother. It would be great!"

Vanellope suddenly looked sad. "I can't."

"What?" I said, surprised by her answer. "Why don't you want to come?"

"It's not that I don't want to come with you," she said. "I would love to. But I can't because glitches can't leave their games. I'm sorry."

I felt my heart sink. I really wanted her to come with me. But if she couldn't, I guess there's nothing I could really do. "Well, if you left," I said, trying to be optimistic, "you wouldn't get to be a racer. Racing in the real world is a lot harder than in here and a lot more dangerous, too." Images of car crashes on the race track played in my mind, and the last thing I wanted was for Vanellope to get involved in one of those.

"I guess you're right," Vanellope said, her face brightening. "Now let's go. We don't want to get caught by King Candy."

"Too late!" We turned around and saw the deranged ruler of Sugar Rush and his fat-filled officers. "I was going to take it easy on you girls, but now you're going to get it! Gaurds! Get them!"

"Run!" screamed Vanellope, and the two of us shot off like a bullet. We didn't need to tell each other where we were going; we both knew that our final destination was Diet Cola Mountain, where King Candy would never be able to find us. It was hard, since they were in their cars, but Vanellope glitched enough, with me holding onto her, to get the two of us away from them. Finally, we got to Diet Cola Mountain without King Candy finding out. I could hear his voice from the inside of the safe volcano (what irony!).

"Where did they go? Wynchell! Duncan! Find them!"

"But sir, where could have they gone?"

"Yeah. Maybe they went inside the mountain."

"Impossible. There's no way inside of this thing. I guess we lost them. Let's head back to the castle." Then I could hear the sound of their cars' engines as they drove away.

Vanellope sighed. "That was way too close. I thought we were dead."

"Me too," I said. Then I remembered something. "I think I should get home now."

"Oh yeah." Vanellope and I were silent. After what had happened that day, it seemed like Vanellope and I had grown rather close, almost sisterly. Having never had a sister before, it was kind of nice having a girl like her to hang around with. Leaving her seemed like a sad thought. But I knew I had to go. My family would be worried if I had to stay the night. But I knew what I had to do. And Vanellope knew too.

* * *

I felt sad having Natalie leave. After fifteen years of rejection and bullying, it was amazing to find her. For the first time ever, I felt like I had a real friend. Someone who would emphasize with me. Someone who would get me out of any stick situation. And Natalie has done both. But I knew, we both knew, that this was the right thing to do.

"Hey," I said, breaking the silence that had formed. "How about I take you to the power strip? We'll just have to be careful of that nutball of a king."

Natalie giggled. "Yeah. Where I come from, we don't have a king. We have a president and live in a democracy."

_President? Democracy? _I thought. _That sounds like a good idea. Hmm... President Vanellope von Schweetz. It's got a nice ring to it. _"That's neat," I said. "Come on. I bet that King Candy's gone by now." The two of us headed out of the mountain and to the train station where the carts to Game Central Station waited for their riders. Above the rainbow bridge leading to the portal was a sign that read, "Parting is such Sweet Sorrow". Usually I laugh at that sign, for leaving behind Taffyta and the other racers would be quite the opposite of sorrow. But today I did feel a little sad. In the few short hours we'd known each other, I ended up really liking Natalie.

"You know," Natalie said. "It's been fun, but I have to go."

"Yeah," I replied. "Life is way too short to take it slow. You can't stay here forever."

"But before I go and hit the road, I've just gotta know."

"What?"

"When can I see you again?" She smiled, but she obviously had a sad look in her eye.

"Soon," I replied. "Hopefully soon."

And with that, and one last goodbye, Natalie entered the portal. She was gone. There was no turning back.

* * *

I walked through the power cord, which I figured was the power cord leading from the Sugar Rush console to the surge protector. I looked up, trying to find the cut in the cord in which I had entered the game through. After a while, I found it. A hole at the top of the tunnel, showing the outside world. It almost seemed relieving to see something not made of sugar. I tried to jump and reach it. It was really hard, though, since it was so high. But, after a while, I finally made it. I was surrounded by a mysterious bunch of electricity as I went from the power cord to the real world.

Then everything was still. And I found myself on the ground at Litwak's arcade.

"Hey! What are you doing on the ground?" I looked up and saw Mr. Litwak come in through the front door.

"Huh?" I picked myself up and looked down. Sure enough, that cut in the power cord was still there. I felt a little sad, thinking about my adventure and friendship with Vanellope. But I knew that I had to do this. It was for the best. And who know? Maybe I can see her again.

* * *

I hope you liked the ending. Stay tuned for the epilouge, taking place after the movie instead of before. See you then!


	8. Epilogue

The epilouge! This is supposed to take place one year after the past events of the story and after the movie. I hope you like it!

* * *

A older version of me walks through the doors to Litwak's Arcade. I look around and see a new game: Hero's Duty. It looks interesting, but I'm not interested in fighting games like that. I also hear a couple of kids talk about a new bonus level in the Fix-it Felix Jr game. I plan on playing it, so I pull a quarter out of my pocket, ready for action. Then I hear a couple of girls by the Sugar Rush console.

"Did you see the new character?" one of them says.

"Yeah!" says the other. "She was really cool, the way she teleported."

_Teleported?_ I think.

"Yeah," the first girl says. "What was her name again? Vanilla? Penelope? It sounded something like that."

_Vanilla? Penelope? Vanellope? Vanellope!_ I know that I have to play it.

"Let's go play Fix-It Felix now," says the second girl. The two of them run off to the retro game console. I run over to Sugar Rush. I pull a quarter out of my pocket, knowing that it is the key to seeing my old friend again. I insert it into the slot, starting the game.

The "Chews Your Racer" board appears, displaying the day's nine featured racers. Sure enough, in the center slot, there's Vanellope, standing in a ready-to-go pose. I know that she is supposed to stay still until I pick her, but she starts to move on her own. Vanellope waves and smiles, probably just as happy to see me as I was to see her. She even starts to speak.

"I guess I was right," she says. "I really did see you again."

I laugh and smile, remembering our promise we made one year ago. "I guess we did," I reply. I press the gas pedal, selecting her as my avatar. She appears on the racetrack in a messy, yet awesome, candy-coated kart.

_She's doing it,_ I think. _She's finally living her dream._ I also noticed that there's no King Candy like usual. I sigh with relief knowing that she's not being harassed by him any more. Just like how I'm not being bullied by Tonya and her gang anymore. It took a while, but I found out that the whole mean-girl thing was just an act, and that Tonya was just as geeky as me.

Then a giant READY appeared over the racers. Vanellope looks back and gives me a thumbs up.

SET! I thumb-up her back, proud of her for finally realizing her dream. I just feel so happy for her for realizing her dream. She probably had a little help, which is good, since friends are so important in life. And Vanellope has helped me realize that. But I can't think about that. I have a race to win! _We_ have a race to win.

GO!

* * *

Well, that's it! Before I go, I would just like to thank everyone who had read my story, all 1,000 of you! I'm still fairly new to fanfiction, and this is my first successful time writing a full length story instead of a one-shot or drabble. I've really committed to this, and I'm sure that a lot of you check back every day to see of there's a new chapter, and there was! But now it's the end, and I'm going to miss writing this story. But you're always free to come back and read it again, and keep on posting those great comments. I'll try to post more full length stories, and I'm sure that I'll post plenty of short stories. Until then, this is OmniRobot19, signing off.


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